


Mac+Riley+Painkillers

by mxrvelous



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Cute, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Humor, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, POV Female Character, POV Male Character, Protective Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Science, caretaker angus macgyver, macriley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-03 15:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19467223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mxrvelous/pseuds/mxrvelous
Summary: In which Mac learns something new about Riley through unfortunate (and unforeseen) circumstances."Angus Macgyver considered himself to be terrible at preparation, but skilled in the art of improvisation. Hell, he even sometimes preferred improvisation—his work under pressure was the work that saved lives.However, as he was about to find out, improvisation when you’re not about to die isn’t always the best idea."





	Mac+Riley+Painkillers

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing anything fanfiction like in about 2 years, so I am a bit rusty. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, for context, Bozer and Leanna live together (and have for a bit). It's just Mac and Riley at Mac's place.

_ STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I own neither Mac nor Riley (nor Bozer) as characters.  _

Angus Macgyver considered himself to be terrible at planning, but skilled in the art of improvisation. Hell, he even sometimes preferred improvisation—his work under pressure was the work that saved lives. 

However, as he was about to find out, improvisation when you’re  _ not  _ about to die isn’t always the best idea. 

It had been a very long, and very tiring day, but his mind was still turning wheels over nothing mission related. That morning, as soon as he’d woken Riley and told her there was nothing special happening at the Phoenix, she’d made a very strange face. Too tired to notice, the only thing that caught him off guard was Riley’s very quiet announcement; “I’m going to stay home today, then, Mac.”

He paused, and processed that. He proceeded to turn and actually look at her now that she was awake—she was as beautiful as ever, but she looked slightly off, like she was trying to hide something but not in a “secrets” way. He didn’t know what to do with that revelation, so instead he noted, “I won’t be able to stay with you, Riles, I’m sorry. Bozer said he needed my help in the lab today.” Swinging her legs over the side of the bed (hesitantly, he noticed), she stretched and yawned, which was her normal morning routine. “It’s fine… I think I just need a day to myself. Maybe I’ll do that ‘at home spa-day’ that Jack was talking about,” she quipped. Mac let out a small chuckle, as Jack’s idea of a spa day was a bottle of whiskey, good takeout, and a movie marathon. He had to agree, it was slightly therapeutic. 

Mac understood why Riley would want some time to herself; between Elwood and the ever increasing intensity of their missions, there was no way he couldn’t understand. Walking back over to the bed, where she was still sitting, he took his place beside her and, for a second, just admired her beauty. The sun from the window deepened the natural shadows and contours of her face, her light eyes brightening as she became more awake. She seemed curious as to why he was just staring, but he couldn’t help it. He smiled a very small smile, but it was enough. That beautiful grin graced his sights once again, and that’s when he decided to spare her the creepy admiration. 

“Whenever you need time, you’ve got it, Riles. I’m gonna hop in the shower before I go—are you sure you don’t need anything else?”

“Yes, Mac, I’m sure.” Her face softened. “Thank you.” 

Back to the present time, as it was late afternoon and Bozer had finally dismissed him from the lab, Mac remembered these events with an analytical lens. All he could focus on was Riley’s strange look and how hesitantly she moved. After them having lived together for over 6 months, he knew she was no morning person but… today was different. With all this in mind, he approached their place with keys in hand. His concern still on the backburner, when he yelled their routine, “Honey, I’m home!” and didn’t receive a response, he immediately became worried. 

A quick scan of the living room showed no signs of struggle, nothing misplaced and that Riley’s purse and keys were still in their usual location, on the TV stand, so she was most likely home—just not on the couch enjoying that spa day. Very carefully walking to the balcony, he found that she wasn’t there either, and so he returned to the living room. Inhaling deeply, he managed to calm himself. It wasn’t normal for Riley to sleep all day, but maybe that’s just what she did. 

Discarding his jacket on the couch, he started towards their room when he heard—crying?

With a newfound urgency, Mac immediately picked up the pace, and sped into the bedroom. Wasn’t there.  _ Where is she? I need to find her _ — _ what if something happened? I should never have left her alone- _ He rushed into the bathroom, and his heart was suddenly in his throat. 

She was lying on the floor, curled up in fetal position. His mind seized, and for once in his life, Boy Genius couldn’t organize his reactions or his thoughts. Seeing the woman he loved in so much obvious pain was such a strong shock that all he could do was stand at the door frame, worry building with every second that he couldn’t move and  _ help her _ . 

He shook himself out of it, refusing to leave her like that any longer. As he rushed to her side and knelt by her, he  _ really  _ knew that she was in pain as she registered his presence with shock. She hadn’t even heard him yell for her, or open the door by itself. His emotions became overwhelming, and he pulled her closer to him so that he could feel or better see what was wrong.

Through teary eyes, Riley looked up at him. “M-Mac, I’m sorry,” she managed. Her breathing was erratic and her muscles were tense, standard symptoms of stress to the body. “You don’t need to be sorry, Ri, just tell me what’s going on,” he pleaded. His voice was laced with increasing desperation, as he wiped the sweat from her forehead and the feeling deep in the pit of his stomach worsened. She exhaled a shaky breath, nodding to acknowledge his request, but then shook her head as her pains seemed to worsen. She folded herself even more and let out a choked cry. His breath hitched, still unsure of what to do or how he could help her. He felt so  _ useless _ —all of the knowledge in the world and he still couldn’t figure out what was going on. Poison? An ulcer? He had no idea. There was no injection site, and when he had surveyed the kitchen (albeit briefly) there had been no signs that she had even eaten something recently.

“Take me to the bed, please,” she whispered. He nodded silently, securing his arms under her legs and behind her shoulder. He took care to cradle her neck so her head wasn’t hanging, and easily stood up with his Riley in his arms, bridal style. Mac very carefully navigated to the bedroom, and set her down on the right side of the bed. Waiting for her next request, he stood by the bed precariously, still scared but slightly relieved that he could at least help her somehow.

It’s still not enough, he thought. He had to help her, or fix her, he had to—the ache he felt was impossible to deal with. 

All of a sudden, Riley deeply inhaled, suddenly catching her breath. Still in fetal position, her breathing slowed, and Mac lowered himself to her side and began rubbing her back, unsure. Breaking her folded position, Riles reached for a (heating pad? He’d never noticed that before) and drew it in closer. He watched this with a ginger hand on her back, still ready to support her whenever she needed. She seemed to melt, in a way, as the heating pad apparently did its job. Still concerned, but not so scared, Mac let his big brain get to work. Obviously, she wasn’t poisoned or dying or throwing up or bleeding, and as he factored in the heating pad and where’d he found her and that morning, it…  _ slightly  _ clicked. 

...Cramps?

Riley was still quiet, and seemed much more at peace, so he decided to sidle up next to her and just… hold her. She let out a small noise, which caused him to tense up, but then she mumbled “‘s okay,” and he relaxed again, draping his arm over her side and resting his hand on top of hers. She seemed to relax more, which put him at ease. Taking care not to move that much, he kicked off his shoes to the foot of the bed, and nestled in closer. His burgundy sweater was thin and breathable, so he didn’t bother with taking it off.

With Riley secure, he let his mind get back to what it did best. He now had basically pieced together that Riley was experiencing PMS cramps, which he knew  _ sucked _ —testimonials aside, he knew enough about anatomy to understand the process; prostaglandins were released in excess in order to shed the uterine lining which-It didn’t matter. He had to think. Even when he’d been with Nicki it had never been  _ that  _ bad. Hell, even with Riley. Whenever her time came around he’d always make sure to take extra care of her, and employ every method of pain relief that he knew if and when she needed it, but it never seemed to get so bad that she couldn’t physically move. Mac let his mind stray to other types of pain, their causes, and catalysts for the reaction.

Stress, was one that applied to his girl’s current situation. His face settled in a deep frown, holding her even closer. He was sure he was practically suffocating her at that point but if she disliked it, she gave no indication. As a matter of fact, he was pretty sure that she had fallen back asleep. If she’d been dealing with that pain all day, and it had started in the morning, it made complete sense for her to stay in. Wheels still turning, he decided that there was more he could do, and quietly slipped out of bed and started towards the kitchen. 

* * *

  
  
  


Riley, still feeling like she was in some type of fever dream, woke up slowly. The sun was descending, so she knew she had been asleep for at least an hour and a half. First, she remembered going to get the Ibuprofen from the bathroom when she got hit with an overwhelming sense of pain. She managed to swallow two or three pills before her body succumbed to the cramps, and that’s when she let herself lay on the floor, sobbing gently. She didn’t even remember when she had started crying. It had been a hard week, and she didn’t have the energy to pick herself up or even crawl back to bed. 

All of a sudden Mac came to mind, and she remembered the horror on his face after discovering her crying on the floor, breathing erratically. Thinking about it now, she figured he’d probably already been concern when she didn’t respond to his usual “Honey, I’m home!” She felt awful for not being able to tell him her life wasn’t in danger, and that he didn’t have to conjure up another cure to some deadly poison. Judging by the fact that her cellphone was still intact, she supposed Mac had realized it, too. She smiled slightly, and then it faltered. The last thing she remembered was… spooning? Before she went to sleep. Riley couldn’t feel his warmth and strong arms anywhere near her, which caused her to finally prop herself up on an elbow and survey the room. Nope, no Mac. She couldn’t hear anything, either, but that just meant Macgyver wasn’t blowing something up—he was overall very quiet and moved the same way.

She very easily got out of bed, and started towards the living room to see what was up. Peering around corners to see if she could just find where he was, eventually, her eyes caught sight of him and his tousled hair in the kitchen, fiddling with something.

“Mac?”

He turned all the way around, still shielding whatever he had been working on with his body. “Hey, you’re awake. And walking,” he noted. He had an amused smile, but Riley could tell he was still looking for any other signs of pain. After what she’d gone through earlier, the aftershock cramps she was feeling were nothing. “Indeed I am. Whatcha hiding, goldie-locks?” she inquired. His smile widened, before he pushed off the kitchen counter and motioned towards the couch. “Sit down, it’s a surprise.” “I don’t like surprises, Mac,” she teased, to which he made an exaggerated face of hurt. He was only able to hold it for about 3 seconds before he burst out laughing; “I promise you’ll like this one, okay? You trust me, right?”

She sighed, and now that he was in arms reach she playfully shoved him. “Of course I do, babe.” With an excited grin, he handed her a blanket (which appeared practically out of thin air) and ushered her to the couch. “Just wait right here, I have to get your surprise from the car.” She nodded, and let herself relax.  _ It’s awfully quiet…  _ She dug between the couch cushions and retrieved the remote, proceeding to turn on the TV. For some reason it was still on that one MTV dating show she didn’t like—maybe they just hadn’t used the living room TV since their last mission.  _ That makes sense; Bozer and Jack seem to love those kinds of shows…  _

Riley let her thoughts trail off, blankly watching the TV and subconsciously wondering what exactly it was that Mac had gotten her. As soon as she started pondering, the front door opened and the sound of plastic bags rustling entailed. She started to turn around, only to get yelled at by Mac (“Don’t turn around yet!!”) and she rolled her eyes, but did what he asked. She tried to inconspicuously sniff out what he had gotten her, but to no avail, and decided she’d just have to be  _ actually  _ surprised. As the sound of plastic bags getting removed and discarded finally came to an end, Mac let out a proud sigh. “Alright, you can turn around now.” 

Riley grinned to herself, and just to play into Mac’s excitement, she covered her eyes as she stood up and turned around. She knew the house well enough to walk a little closer to Mac, before she finally removed her hands and opened her eyes.

Mac was standing there, with a stupidly happy grin on his face. In his left hand he held a bouquet of flowers, gardenias and white roses from what she could tell. Her smile grew impossibly wide, and her hands flew to her face. Jack, the first man to ever buy her flowers, had gotten the exact same combination. Her heart hurt but was so happy at the same time, and Mac knew that he had gotten it exactly right. “I’m glad you like them—gardenias are actually considered some of the best smelling flowers, and I know you like roses,” he explained. She nodded, still at a loss for words, and began to reach for the flowers but he stopped her. “Uh uh, there are a few more tricks up my sleeve,” he teased. She sighed, in a fond but exasperated manner. From behind his back, he revealed two smoothies, one a deep cream and the other one a lighter pink. She figured the pink was strawberry banana, Mac’s favorite, but she couldn’t tell what the tan one was. Mac seemed to have predicted her confusion, and handed her the giant cup, while he set his own down on the nearest counter.

“So, I did some research in the car—cramps can be alleviated by foods and drinks high in vitamin B, and apparently apple and banana smoothies are just that, so I went to that little smoothie place on Avon that you like,” he explained. Riley frowned, surprised and impressed, and looked more closely at the smoothie container in her hand. “So this is my magic potion?” she asked. Mac chuckled, and shrugged. “I guess you could say that, but then I guess this would be your magic… I don’t know, what’s the solid version of a potion?”

He reached down into one bag that she hadn’t noticed, and pulled out a tub of ice cream. “Mac! That’s my favorite!” she exclaimed, seeing the cookie dough flavor label—he always bought her food and cute things, but rarely ever ice cream solely because he pretty much refused to gift her any processed or unhealthy food. He never chastised her for eating it (as he did, too,) but he didn’t mind giving her whatever he considered healthy.  _ So what’s changed?  _

“I know I normally don’t get you stuff like this, but I called Jack and he knew this really neat place to get some decent ice cream. Now, it’s dairy free, but I  _ promise  _ that it tastes just like the normal kind. I also read that dairy can make cramps worse, so I figured it’d be a happy compromise.” He smiled, and set the ice cream next to his smoothie. “Last surprise,” he announced, and pulled a bar of dark chocolate out of his jacket pocket. She was surprised it wasn’t melted, but far less surprised at the idea that he’d found a way to keep chocolate from melting in a Californian summer. 

“Now, dark chocolate isn’t  _ milk  _ chocolate, and it’s high in magnesium which also helps with cramps,” he elaborated, and handed her the chocolate bar for further examination. She did so, and figured his reasoning was plausible (as it normally was) and tore the wrapper. Riley was, as a matter of fact, starving, and she really couldn’t wait to eat something solid. Mac smiled and picked up whatever bags were left, and with his large hands managed to also safely carry the ice cream container  _ and  _ his smoothie. She observed in amusement, fond of watching Mac use his skills for something that  _ wasn’t  _ about to kill them. He noticed her eyes on him, and proceeded to notice how awkward he looked carrying so much stuff.

“No second trips,” he said, and Riley laughed way harder than she should’ve.

* * *

  
After Mac got everything situated and Riley was secure and comfortable, he retrieved his smoothie and joined her on the couch. She automatically leaned into him, and he rested his arms around her shoulders, feeling her genuinely relax after a long day. He loved this part, always; he wasn’t sure why, but the way she trusted him felt better than anything he could’ve imagined. Eventually, no longer focused on getting comfortable, the TV came into focus, and he noticed that she had changed the channel—she wasn’t fond of those reality dating shows, as he had come to find out, so now they were watching their collective favorite, Catfish. He had ordered some take-out (because he knew she really needed to eat some type of comfort food) and decided to just enjoy her presence while they waited. 

“Thank you, for everything today, Mac,” she murmured. “Of course, Riles. If you need me you’ve got me.” He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, which lead her to return an equally gentle one to his lips. It was their way of letting the other know they were there for each other, and that they were happy—Mac couldn’t have asked for anything better. The woman he held was one he’d never stop trusting, and he’d come to realize that trust was something that he’d always needed, but was so hard to find in their line of work.  _ Well, I guess that’s what makes us so perfect for the other,  _ he thought to himself. 

He decided that the terror of each mission (or of PMS cramps, as the day had reminded him) was entirely worth it if it meant he got to come home to a safe and sound Riley Davis. 

  
  
  



End file.
